Cory's World
by Blue Mickie
Summary: In the end of Eclipse Jacob runs away from La Push, not knowing what to do in a life without Bella. Now, 16 years later, he's finally returned to his home and his pack - but he's not alone.
1. Prologue

**Blue Mickie here, this is my first publicly accessible fanfic. I'm not really sure what to expect but I'm trying public domain anyways. This first chapter's a little short, hopefully they'll get longer...**

**Anyways, please review! I'd love to hear from everyone!**

**And just so you all know, anything Twilight-related is not mine, but I'm sure you all know that already...**

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My life had never been exactly what I'd call normal, but to be honest, I had never really cared.

As long as I could remember I had been taken care of by the best guardian in the world. He had minded me when I was a baby, watched over me during elementary school, and supported me through my high school years. He's my older brother and my best friend all in one.

He's also a werewolf.

I can't remember my real parents; I had been too young when they died. All I knew about them was the little Jacob had told me.

Apparently, one day when he was travelling through northern British Columbia he heard the screech of brakes and a deafening bang. Upon investigation he found a car, broken and smoking. In the front were a man and a woman, already dead, and in the back – well, he found me.

I like to imagine that my parents had strapped me into the car especially carefully that day, knowing the dangers of the twisted wilderness roads. Jake says a lot of luck was involved. Either way, I was the only one in the car who survived and Jake rescued me from the car.

He probably should have called for help but it was cold, he had no phone, and we were miles away from civilization. So instead he took me, all the items he could salvage from the car, and retreated into the woods. He changed back into his human form and took care of me through the cold night. He saved my life that night, and I've never stopped being grateful.

He stayed with me, making me literally "raised by wolves"… or "wolf". He spent about half his time in wolf form and half in human form. It didn't matter to me – I loved both sides of him.

He always made sure I was taken care of first; in the beginning he had to work hard to make sure I had what I needed. We didn't even have a house for the first few years. We lived in the forest until he finally saved up enough to rent a room. To cut costs even more, he only spent money on my food and hunted for his own.

Before we got the room though and he was still working all four of his part-time jobs, he used to struggle with what to do with me. When he could he would take me to his job, I was a well-behaved child and would do anything he asked me, but sometimes he couldn't take me, so I would ask him to leave me at the park until he came back. He disliked it but I made tons of friends – until their parents got suspicious as to where my parents were. When they started asking too many questions Jake would pack me up and we'd leave that town.

When I got old enough that I needed to start school Jake began to have an easier time, he didn't seem to work as much and afterschool we'd go do something fun. It didn't bother me that we had to keep moving around to keep what Jacob was a secret, as long as I was with him I was happy.

Both of us being black-haired and dark-skinned we were able to pass as father and daughter in my early years. But when I grew we changed it to uncle and niece, then siblings, and finally cousins when the differences between us became too pronounced. Jake was always my best friend though, and I was sure I was his.

Sometimes I felt bad about taking over so much of his life, but whenever I admitted this to him he would grab my face gently and tell me that he could never regret having me in my life. He told me I was his life now and that would never change.

We lived on our own, never really getting close to anyone and never really needing to. Sure, I missed out on a lot of stuff regular kids got to do. I didn't have really nice clothes, or a TV, and I'd never been in a car before, but Jake tried his best to give me all he could.

After finding out how much I loved music I was never in need. Somehow he got his hands on a really nice portable music player and every once in a while I was surprised to find a new version of it with even more songs on it then I could ever dream. When I asked him how he just told me that someone owed him a few favours.

And so we lived how we wanted, travelling the country together. I loved the excitement. Then Jake announced our latest move…

La Push.


	2. Making Jamie Bell Cry

**Yay! Second chapter out! It may be a while before I post again. I have to live through this week of school... Anyways, I hope you like it! Thank you Twit-Tard for reviewing, it meant a lot to me!**

**I own nothing except Cory 'cause I'm awesome like that.**

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"Come on Cory, we gotta get moving!"

I groaned and rolled over in my sleeping bag, "Go away Jake."

"No can do girlie, it's time to get up!" I felt a pair of warm arms grab my sleeping bag and lift me into the air with it.

"No! Jake, what are you doing? Put me down!" I screeched as he slung me over his shoulder. The hood on my sleeping bag fell back, exposing me to the cold world. Jake was already moving, bumping me along on his back.

"Well, since you don't want to get up and dressed I figured we could just go like this," he laughed throatily. "I'm sure you won't mind riding into our new home looking like you just crawled out of bed."

That caught my attention.

"Shi-oot!" I changed the word I was about to use when Jake's shoulder tensed. "That was today?" I asked.

"Yep. We'll arrive today, before dark I hope." He set me carefully on the ground steadying me before I fell onto my face. "But we have to leave in a few minutes or we'll be spending another night in the woods."

I looked forest around us; it was peaceful and serene this early in the morning. I opened my mouth to speak –

"And don't say that'll be okay with you. _You_ didn't have to listen to all the whining that you were making last night. _I_ don't want to spend another night in the woods if you're going to be like that again," he chuckled.

I glared my worst up at him but he remained amused under my evil eye.

"Here's your breakfast Cor, go get dressed," he said as he handed me a Nutri-Grain bar. I grabbed it eagerly, ripping off the package and devouring it in moments. Jacob watched me with an unfathomable expression on his face.

"What?" I asked, licking crumbs off my fingers.

"Hungry much?"

I shrugged, we hadn't had much to eat in the past couple days due to the traveling. "I'm going to go get changed Jake, where's my bag?"

He pulled it out of one of his larger bags and tossed it to me. I shuffled away, still in my sleeping bag, until I was behind a tree. Then, in as little time as possible, I jumped from my bag, tore off my sweats, and pulled on my day clothes. But even in that little amount of time I was still shivering when I was through.

I stepped back around the tree. Jacob was nearly done packing away the rest of his stuff. I watched for a moment, the cool morning clearing my vision.

For a 6 foot 8 werewolf, Jake could be surprisingly gentle. He carefully wrapped our more fragile items like our plates, mugs, and bowls in clothes so they wouldn't break; his dark skin taunt over his exposed muscles as he worked quickly and neatly. His full lips were puckered into an 'O' as he whistled an old Quileute lullaby. As I watched he stood up and turned to me, his lips spreading into a happy smile showing white teeth on dark skin. I automatically smiled back and he reached out a hand for me to grab.

I skipped towards him then attempted fruitlessly to tackle him to the ground. He just caught me and held me close to him.

"Oh no, now look what you did!" He laughed, tickling me mercilessly. I screamed and squirmed in his firm grip but he was relentless.

Finally he let up and just hugged me close. I just rested in his arms, content where I was.

"You were cold weren't you?" he teased. I nodded against his warm, bare chest. He carried me, bridal style over to my abandoned bag and sleeping bag. I reached for my bag as he stuffed the sleeping bag into its pouch with one hand.

"You ready to go?" He asked when he was finished.

I sighed tiredly, "Yeah, I suppose."

He kissed me on the forehead and tilted his neck so he could look me in the eyes.

"Don't worry, Cory, I have a feeling that this will be the best move yet."

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Six hours later I crawled off Jake's back for a brief stretch.

"Geez, how far away is this place?" I asked, reaching my hands up as high I could go.

Jake just disappeared behind a tree for a moment then reappeared, tugging his cut-off shorts into position. I noticed he didn't pull on a shirt and made a mental note to get him a new one next time we stopped to shop.

"We'll get there in a few more hours I think."

I groaned and leaned down to touch my toes. I loved riding on Jake in his wolf form, but after three days of almost non-stop travelling I was getting a bit stiff.

"Can we walk for a while?" I pleaded, making my knees crack for affect. "It'll be good for both of us."

Jake grinned, knowing what I was doing.

"Sure, sure. If it makes you happy," he said.

I gave a little happy dance as he watched in amusment.

"What? Now I can actually talk to a real person," I defended myself.

He gasped, pretending to look horrified. "Oh no! How could you not count Jamie Bell? He'll be devastated!"

I growled at him and took a swipe at his arm, which he dodged of course. "Shut up! My iPod _so_ doesn't count as a person. I'm not crazy you know?"

"Sure, sure," he teased and leaped ahead of me before I could try to whack him again. "You're going to make Jamie cry Cors, he's real too you know."

"No he isn't!" I yelled after him. He just laughed. I scuffed the dirt at my feet for a moment before checking to see how far ahead Jake had gone. He was far enough away that I was reasonably sure he couldn't hear me…

I pulled my shiny blue iPod out of my bag, trying to keep it out of view. "Sorry Jamie," I whispered softly, feeling both ridiculous and guilty. In my experience technology responded better to me if I treated it with respect. Yelling that it wasn't real would probably only end up in a lack of music for a week.

I tucked him back into my bag and looked up, hoping that Jake hadn't seen or heard what I had just done. He was just grinning stupidly at me and I felt like hitting my head on the nearest tree. He totally heard.

I just stuck my tongue out at him and continued walking through the forest. I passed him and turned my nose in the air away from him. He rushed along to walk beside me.

"Ha ha, good thinking there Cory. You don't want Jamie to be mad at you now do you?"

I just walked on, looking around at the forest.

It was silent for a few minutes. Jake kept giving me glances that became gradually more and more worried. I waited it out, keeping my facial expression controlled and blank even though I was laughing inside. Finally he gave in.

"Cory? Hey, sorry about what I said before… I didn't mean anything by it you know. I um, think Jamie's a great guy too," he said a little desperately. I waited a few more seconds for him to really feel the pain before turning and giving a little smug smile.

His face broke into such a relieved grin that I felt a little bad about holding out for so long. To make it up to him I reached over and took his hand. He held on to it happily and we walked along in silence for a while longer.

"So why do you think this will be the best move yet?" I asked, curious. I had been thinking about why he had said that for a while.

Jake squeezed my hand unconsciously for a moment, his brows furrowed in thought.

"It's on the coast, I know you love the ocean…" he said, falling back into silence.

"And?" I hedged, sensing there was more.

"And, well, I used to live around there. In the rez where we'll be living actually," he stated nonchalantly.

I nodded at him in understanding, "Where all your stories happened right?"

He gave me a sideways glance, "Yeah, where my family lives."

…

"WHAT?"


	3. Retail Therapy

"I'm going to be meeting your _family_?" I shrieked, grabbing his face. "Are you freaking kidding me? Why didn't you warn me or something Jacob?"

He squirmed under my hands. "Would it really have made a difference?" he asked in confusion.

"Yes! What were you thinking Jacob Black? I can't meet your family like _this_!"

"Like what?" He asked, looking slightly perplexed.

"Like this! All messy and stuff! I need to make a good impression Jake, this is important!"

"Cor, relax. It'll be okay, they won't care about that kind of thing," he said, looking amused.

"Please Jake, I want them to like me," I pleaded, pulling my face into a puppy dog pout. I tried to keep my face straight when I saw his amused face flicker into one of concern.

"Well, what do you want to do about it then?" he asked. I turned my face away so he wouldn't see me grin.

"Just drop me off at the nearest clothing store for a few moments" I stated smugly, secure in my victory.

"How much will this cost?" He inquired primly. I laughed at his dubious expression.

"Nothing," I smiled charmingly at him.

"Nothing?"

"Nope, I got this one covered Jake," I dug into my bag and pulled out a plastic bag with a few bills. "The last of my gas station gig."

He grinned and counted the bills in the bag, "I was wondering where that went."

I hugged him tightly, "So deal?"

"Sure, sure, I'll drop you off in Port Angeles okay? You can shop for ten minutes then we gotta get going. I want to be there before dark," he looked worried enough that I agreed without hesitation.

"Let's go then!" I cried, leaping forward to give him privacy to phase. He caught up with me almost immediately, his paws treading heavily beside me. I twisted my fingers through his russet fur absent-mindedly. He stuck his tongue out of his mouth in a lazy wolf-grin.

"Can I ride again until town?" I asked. He nodded his shaggy head and I clapped my hands in delight. I tucked my shoulder bag into my side more securely and swung my leg over his huge form when he crouched on the ground.

Then we were off.

I laughed into Jake's ear, feeling delight as the world whipped by us in a blur of green and brown. He barked his agreement and went even faster. I felt completely assured riding on his broad back, barely jostled as he ran. He was so warm that the cold wind didn't even affect me.

We got to Port Angeles too soon for my liking.

"Remember, ten minutes Cory," Jake said seriously. I saluted him and ran towards the picturesque town.

Quickly I found a department store that looked like it would carry some nice, _cheap_ clothes. I sorted through their clearance section first, finding an inexpensive sequined top, then headed over to look through jeans and shoes where I found a pair of twenty dollar jeans and some pink ballet flats. I even had enough left to buy a cute cardigan and a polo shirt for Jake. I didn't want his family to think I hadn't been taking care of him either.

Normally shopping was a hobby I tried to stay away from. Jake and I didn't have enough money for me to be getting new clothes all the time. I wore the two or three sets of clothes until I either grew out of them or they wore out. Jake bought new clothes even less often, claiming that since he spent so much time out of them he barely needed them.

But today was a special occasion so I splurged a little. I mean, I was meeting his _family_ - his former pack! It was important that they thought well of me. They needed to see how well Jake had been taking care of me; I couldn't look (or act) like a wild child around them.

I rushed my clothes to the counter, watching the clock with anxious eyes. Jake would come and actually pick me up by the scruff of the neck if I was even half a minute late. The cashier was so slow though that I was fidgeting anxiously by the end, with half a mind to jump over the counter and check myself out. But I withheld the temptation to whack the girl and was able to dash outside just as Jake was coming in.

"Safe!" I gasped.

He chuckled and grabbed my bags from me, pulling me with one hand towards the forest.

I climbed onto his back when we were once again in the safety of the trees. The sun was fading a in the sky but instead of slowing Jake, it only made him faster. I closed my eyes to avoid panicking because of the speed coupled with the lack of light to see by. Jake could see and he was really the only one who needed to.

The sun had almost completely disappeared when he began to slow. I was getting a little chilly and was mentally thankful for buying a cardigan.

Jake stopped running in the forest just a few hundred feet from where I could see a road with lights. I was surprised – he never came that close to a town without phasing into a human again.

I slid off his back and we went in opposite direction to change – him to human, me into my new clothes.

The cold air stung my skin a little bit but I just thanked God that it wasn't raining. Jake had told me that it _always_ rained in La Push. Heh, he was wrong.

As soon as I thought that I heard a tiny rumble of thunder above me. Fail… Stupid thoughts.

"Jake, it's going to storm!" I called as I pulled on my new flats.

He was at my side in a moment. I handed him his new shirt, he grinned at me and pulled it over his bare chest. I stood and admired him for a moment, that colour looked good on him…

"It's okay, it's not that far," he said, startling me from my thoughts (or lack of).

I nodded, suddenly nervous. Like, _really_ nervous. My hands began to shake and my heart beat out in double time.

"Woah girl, relax!" Jake exclaimed, reaching out to steady me. "They aren't going to eat you or anything."

I gave a weak giggle, but my throat was too tight to speak.

He pulled me close to him in a warm hug. I leaned into him, smelling his deep earthy smell. His arms tightened around me as I held onto him as firmly as my shaking fingers could manage.

"Jake," I whispered. "What if they don't like me?"

He was quiet for a moment. I concentrated on his deep, steady breaths and the sound of his heart beating steadily. I knew he would be honest with me – it was what I always needed first.

"Well," he started quietly. "If they really don't like you then we'll leave."

I pulled away, "What? No, I couldn't let you do that!" I crossed my arms and looked down, guilt tearing at my insides.

He put his hands on either side of my face and made me look at him.

"Why do you think they won't like you?" he asked.

I bit my lip, "Because I stole you away for so many years! They might not think that I'm worth it. I never wanted to come between you and your family…" To my shame a plump tear dripped out of my eye and rolled down my cheek.

Jake caught it with a finger and gently erased the track it left on my cheek with his warm fingers. I closed my eyes and rested on him. He hugged me again.

"Cory, they'll understand that you were so important to me that I had to take care of you. They won't think you stole anyone, in fact, they might be mad that I stole _you_ away."

I opened my eyes, surprised. "Stole me away? From what?"

He let me go and ran a big hand through his shaggy hair.

"Well, I haven't exactly given you the best life. We've always been poor and moving. You hardly ever made friends and I couldn't give you all the experiences normal kids have had. If I had given you to an orphanage then you would probably have those things right now. But I kept you because…"

"Because of the imprint," I cut him off. We had been over why he had kept me when other options would have made his life easier. "And I'm glad. I love living with you, I'd give up every normal experience for you. I have my own werewolf! How many _normal_ kids have one of those?" I snorted.

He laughed too and grabbed our bags, scattered at our feet. I slipped my hand inside of his, loving how tiny it looked in his humongous one. We walked towards the lights in silence for a minute.

"By the way, I don't think you'll need to worry about them not liking you, " Jake grinned cheekily. "They welcome fellow goofballs."

I smacked him as hard as I could without hurting myself. He stuck his tongue out so I did it right back. Yep, the epitome of maturity, that was us.

We walked out onto the street laughing quietly. I looked around curiously, my nerves calmed for the moment.

A few houses had lights on but I couldn't really see what they looked like because of the dark. I wondered what it was like for Jake to be coming back after all these years. Things must have changed in such a long time.

He squeezed my hand as he guided me up the street towards a house on the very edge of the forest. Almost all the lights were on in this one and I could see silhouettes in the front window. Half of them were as big as Jake while the others varied in size. A few kids raced by as I watched.

"Bet you ten bucks I can guess who's who from the outside," Jake said mischievously. I grinned wickedly at him, easy bet. They were sure to have changed by now.

"Deal."

"Alright," he cleared his throat. "Left to right, males only. Um… Quil, Brady… Seth… Embry, Sam… Collin, Paul… and Jared."

I took a moment to memorize the order and replayed it back to him.

"Yep, that's it. I'm positive."

I shrugged, "Your money."

He barked out a quiet laugh as we walked up the drive. I began to get butterflies in my stomach again.

"Do I look okay? Anything out of place?" I fussed as we climbed the stairs to the door. Jake just pressed a kiss to my forehead in assurance. I smiled at him in unspoken thanks.

We waited a few moments at the door, both of us looking at the yellow paint.

"So… uh, should we knock or something?" I asked. Jake just shrugged. I squeezed his hand knowing that his nerves were catching up with him as well.

I was just lifting my hand to knock when the door opened.


	4. Black Is Back

**New chapter - FINALLY. Things have been super hectic lately so I haven't been able to get working on this. I'll try to be better about it.  
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**I love the pack! They're all so... amusing. I'm glad they finally get to meet Cory!**

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I was just lifting my hand to knock when the door opened.

Two humungous men stared out of the doorway at us, their eyes narrowed in confusion. The sounds of the party were loud behind them.

I shrunk in towards Jacob and his warm arm enveloped my shoulder.

"Can we help you?" One of them asked, not unfriendly, but still puzzled. Obviously this was an invite-only party.

"Um, yeah," Jake cleared his throat. "I was wondering if I could talk to Sam Uley, or Billy Black," he tacked on as an afterthought.

One of the guys nodded and slipped away from the doorway. The other one motioned for us to step inside. I took the step forward, dragging Jake along with me. Then that man stepped back a little to give us some space, but continued to watch us with an expression of wary curiosity.

"Who were they?" I whispered to Jake, speaking so quietly that I was barely saying anything at all.

He shrugged slightly, "New members? I didn't recognize them."

I nodded and looked away from our staring friend. The house we were in was pretty, if small. I grinned slightly, actually, I was pretty sure the only reason it looked so small was because of the two giants standing in the tiny entranceway with me. I couldn't see much else of the house but I had the feeling that it was just as simple and pretty. The entire house was filled to the brim with the appealing scent of food. My stomach wanted to growl but I was able to stop it with will alone – I didn't want Jake worrying about me at the moment, he had bigger things to attend to.

In the next room over the talking suddenly cut off. Jake stiffened beside me and pulled me back until I was tucked away beside him. I rolled my eyes at his antics but didn't jerk away. His eyes were fixed on the doorway to the rest of the house. I leaned around him slightly to see what was happening.

A large, powerful-looking man was standing there, staring at Jake like he'd seen a ghost. Jake was watching him just as intently.

I checked the man out too, reasoning that he must be the great Sam Uley – Jake's former Alpha. He certainly was as intimidating as I imagined, tall, strong, a certain stoniness permanent on his face. But he was older then Jake had described. He must have stopped phasing. But the age didn't stop him from holding a feeling of great authority around him.

"Jacob?" he whispered in a low, choky voice. I tightened my grip on Jake, unable to see his expression from where I was.

"Hey Sam," Jake said, managing to sound both cautious and sheepish. I rolled my eyes at the other man who was still watching the exchange, eyes wide. He caught my expression and hid a grin.

"What the HELL?" Sam roared and leaped towards Jake. Jake pushed me out from behind him but stayed put himself. I ended up next to the strange man, biting my lip as Sam tackled Jake. I was a little worried, Jake was still a young, strong werewolf – Sam had stopped phasing, he could get hurt.

Then I noticed Jake laughing as Sam twisted him into a headlock. The look on Sam's face was amusing as well. He looked like he didn't know whether to be angry or happy.

I smirked at my Jacob being held captive by another person. But my smirk soon changed into a full-blown smile, Jake seemed so _happy_. And if Jake was happy, I was too.

"Okay, I still don't really know what's going on here, but would you like to come inside?" I realized the strange man next to me was speaking to me. I nodded and he pushed himself off the wall. He eased his way around the wrestling match on the floor and led the way through the door towards the rest of the party.

I followed him out, still grinning at the match on the floor. "Kick his butt Jake," I whispered.

I walked into the next room and froze.

It seemed like everyone was staring at me. The exception was my guide who had taken the opportunity to raid a giant table of food pushed against the wall.

I felt more then a little uncomfortable with everyone's gaze on me. I blushed but looked back determinedly.

It was amazing to see so many people look alike. The majority of the men in the room were all massive like Jacob, with the same dark skin and black hair. Theirs was cut shorter then Jake though, and their clothes were neater, if in the same style. I tried figuring out who was who based on the stories Jake had told me but I got nowhere. There were more then he had described – at least ten more, making the room seem even more crowded.

Besides them there was a smattering of women and children around the room. A few of the women looked to be my age or a little older. I noticed a girl hanging off of a buff man; her eyes were sparkling with life and interest. I smiled a little at her and looked around the room some more. One of the older looking men had a woman on his lap. I took a wild stab and guessed that they were Kim and Jared. The woman next to them looked to be as old as Sam, one of the eldest. Three scars were just visible on her face, but they just brought out the beauty on the other side of her face.

_Emily_, I thought with conviction. She was just as beautiful as Jake described, and even though she was surprised she still managed to look welcoming and motherly.

I brushed my bangs out of my face self-consciously and swallowed the nerves that were keeping me from talking.

"Hello, it's lovely to be here. You have a beautiful home," I said, my voice shaking only a little, my sentiment directed towards Emily. She recovered just enough to give me a small smile.

"Where's Sam?" she asked suddenly. I bit my lip, an unexpected feeling of unwelcome swamp my spirits.

"Um, I'll go get them," I said, backing from the room quickly. When I was in the entrance again I let out a deep breath, my throat tightening. I felt the familiar burn of tears in my eyes. _They didn't like me!_

"Jacob…" I started, blinking against the unshed tears.

He was off the floor and at my side in half a second, taking my face between his big warm hands.

"Cory, what's wrong?" he said in a soothing voice. I blinked the tears out of my eyes and took a shaky breath, wishing I didn't cry so easily.

"Sorry, I just… I just panicked. They were confused and I didn't know what to say," I choked out, concentrating on the feeling of Jake's hands on my cool skin.

He drew my into a quick hug then spun us around to face Sam, who had picked himself off the floor, beaming at Jake. He noticed me, a shadow of unease passing over his face before he changed his face into a stoic mask.

"We'll take it slowly Cor, starting with Sam," Jake said, rubbing calming circles on my back. I nodded against his shoulder.

"Cory, this is Sam Uley. Sam, this is Cory," Jake gave me a little push towards Sam. I walked the rest of the way and stuck out my hand politely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir," I stated gravely. He took a hold of my hand and shook it lightly, his confused eyes on Jacob. I turned back to Jake as well. He grasped my arm and drew me back towards him. I welcomed the safety of his arms.

Sam seemed to recover, he looked down at me and gave a smile, "It's nice to meet you too Cory." I smiled back, feeling a little easier.

"Alright then, I'm sure everyone's waiting to see who came to the door," Sam brushed past us and into the living room again. Jake chuckled and led me through with him.

Everyone was still standing there, in almost the exact same places. I wondered idly if they had actually moved at all. Sam swept his way through the room and to Emily. His eyes met hers and they were filled with so much love and adoration that seemed like they had forgotten everyone else in the room. I grabbed Jake's hand and smiled up at him. He looked down at me and squeezed my hand gently.

Then, without warning, the room erupted.

"JAKE?" a tall man in the corner shouted, leaping to his feet. "Oh my god! What the hell?" Another five or six people were yelling the same sort of sentiments. Everyone started to talk at the same time. I watched, half amused, half anxious. Jake was just grinning at them all listening to them scream.

A tall woman in her late mid-thirties got out of her seat and marched over to us, her face a mask of anger.

"Rach?" Jake's jaw dropped as he observed the woman. She walked within a foot of him, staring up at him.

Then she reached up and flicked him hard in the ear.

"Where. Were. You?" She screeched. I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my laughter as I watched Jake's sister berate him angrily. "You had us all worried _sick_! Do you think you can just walk back in here and think everything is going to be fine and dandy? Well, you have got another thing _coming_!"

Jake took it all well, hanging his head and attempting to look shamefaced. But I could see the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. When Rachel took a breath from her shouting he scooped her into a big hug. She struggled for a moment before bursting into tears and hugging him back, nearly strangling him.

The tall man with the big voice joined the hug in the next second. I jumped away as at least five other men bounded into the hug next. Jake disappeared into a bundle of arms and legs.

I backed away before hitting something solid. I looked around and saw the first guy who had answered the door.

"Wanna explain what's going on?" He asked, his eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Jake's home now," I shrugged. "I'm not sure if you know him from before or not. He's Jacob Black. He used to live on the rez here."

The man just gaped at me. "Wait, _that's_ Jacob Black?" he asked. "I thought he was _old_ though!"

I snorted, "He technically is. He just never stopped phasing."

If it was possible the man's mouth dropped even lower. I stepped away from him smiling smugly.

"Cory?"

I turned to find Emily and Sam coming towards me. I flushed and lowered my gaze to the ground. I supposed this was when they were going to ask me to leave.

To my surprise I was pulled into Emily's warm arms.

"Oh Cory, I feel awful for treating you like that earlier! I was just so surprised, and I didn't know where Sam had gone. I'm so sorry, it's great to meet you, and you are most welcome here!" She held onto my tightly. I was stunned for a moment before I hugged her back. It was actually nice being held by someone other the Jacob. It kinda felt like I had a mom.

She drew back and looked me up and down. "Oh dear, look how thin you are! Come, I'll get you something to eat." She pulled my hand towards what I assumed was the kitchen.

I glanced over at Jake but when I saw that he was still being assaulted with people I followed Emily.

The kitchen was warm and even more food was piled on the counters. My stomach growled angrily as I looked over everything. Emily saw me drooling and laughed, handing me a large plate.

"Go ahead and help yourself to anything you want," she said. I drifted over to a counter that had a bowl of macaroni and cheese. I grabbed the spoon and put a dollop on my plate, unsure of how much would be polite to take.

Emily grabbed my plate away from me with a roll of her eyes. "Here, I'll fill it up for you. Sit down, relax for a minute."

I obeyed, not quite sure how to react. The woman that I had guessed to be Kim was at the table as well. When I sat down she reached out and covered my hands in her.

"Hello," she said softly, a beautiful smile lighting up her face. "I'm Kim, it's nice to meet you Cory."

I beamed at her, glad that my guess had been correct. "I'm really glad to be here. I've always wanted to meet Jake's family!"

Emily set my now full plate down in front of me and brushed my hair back from my face. I barely stopped myself from flinching away from her touch. I wasn't used to anyone other then Jake touching me.

"Has he told you much about us?" she asked. I nodded, deeply inhaling the smell of food on my plate.

"I practically grew up on stories of you guys! I refused to go to bed until Jake gave me a story. You have no idea how amazing it is to meet all of my childhood heroes!"

I took a big forkful of the mac and cheese, savouring the bite with gratefulness. Emily and Kim watched me, politely confused.

"Oh, and how long have you known Jacob?" Kim asked; her brows wrinkled slightly.

I stopped eating and bit my lip. How much was I supposed to tell them until Jake talked to them?

I decided that the truth would be best – after all, they would find it out everything eventually.

"I've been with Jake for almost sixteen years."

Both of the women looked surprised at this.

"So Jacob has been staying with your family all this time?" Kim was taken aback. I could tell Emily was too but she didn't voice her surprise.

I blushed at their misunderstanding, "Sorta. It's more like I've been living with him. He is my family, he raised me after my parents died when I was a baby." I lowered my voice and leaned closer to the two of them. "I'm his imprint."

Kim's mouth dropped open while Emily's eyes grew wide. I stared back at them, feeling nervous. This was the first time I had ever been able to speak about werewolf business to someone other then Jake. It felt wrong.

The women continued to gape at me. I fidgeted uncomfortably under their gazes.

Finally, Emily spoke.

"You're his imprint?"


	5. The Fail of the Welcome Wagon

**I'm so sorry! Ugh ugh ugh! Sorry sorry. Some distracting stuff went down and then KA-POW!! Suddenly it was 2010... I think I got stuck in a time warp or something... Anyways, I'm so sorry for not updating for so long! **

**Thank you to all the people who reviewed my earlier chapters and a special thanks to jacobblackismineduh for getting me back here and writing! I'll try to right more, I won't feel satisfied with not updating after this chapter. I was in a rush and I want to get some more info out there so I'll see what I can do about updating! Don't give up on me please!! 3**

**By the way, I own no one (.) - no, wait! I totally own Cory! Ahahahaaa...**

* * *

"You're his imprint?"

I leaned forward, lowering my voice to a whisper.

"I know about everything. The pack, the Cullens, werewolves, vampires, all that. I've never known anything different so it's way normal for me," I grinned reassuringly at them.

They stayed silent, mouths still open. I took the opportunity to shovel more food into my mouth. There was some food I didn't recognize, some sort of mush that tasted like potatoes and some sour red berry sauce. Meh, it tasted good. At this point I'd probably eat anything. Anyone would after Nutri-Grain bars for a week.

"How? If it isn't too hard could you tell us everything?" Emily suddenly asked, her voice quiet.

I swallowed my food and set down my fork, trying to think where to start.

"Well-"

"Cory! This is where you disappeared to," Jake came into the kitchen, a gaggle of people on his tail. Aha, tail…

"Hey, Jake. I met Emily and Kim," I beamed up at him. His eyes softened as he took in my grin. He must have been just as nervous as I was about how they'd react to me. "I was just telling about why I live with you."

Jake glanced at the two women, his expression suddenly wary. I looked at them too. Emily was smiling at him, her eyes misty.

"Welcome home Jake," she said, reaching up to pull him into a fierce hug. I felt a pang of guilt, they had missed him so much.

"Thanks Emily," he murmured into her hair. I smiled gently remembering that Jake didn't have a mother anymore either. Emily was probably as close to one as he had.

"Yes Jake. Welcome home," Kim stated from her seat. She was glaring at Jake, her lips pursed.

"Hi Kim," Jake said, confused. She tilted her head and continued to glower at him.

"So," she growled. "What's this?" She pointed at me. I took one look at Jake's face before jumping up and pushing my hands against his chest.

"What do you mean 'what's this?'" He exploded, shaking in agitation. Alarmed I moved closer to him.

"Yes, what's this," Kim confirmed, also standing up, hands on her hips. I was a little impressed by her guts, not everyone could face a shaking werewolf so calmly, even I was a little nervous when Jake began shaking. "Apparently, you've been raising this girl by yourself for the last _sixteen years!_"

"What's going on in here?" A man came into the kitchen at unbelievable speed. Jared, I assumed. "Kim-"

"Hold it Jared, I want to hear this."

I shut my eyes and pressed my face into Jake's chest, gripping his shirt tightly and listening to his racing heart. His shaking faded as his heartbeat slowed back down to normal speed.

"I couldn't just leave her there," I heard him whisper hoarsely. I cringed at the pain I heard in his voice. "She would have died. I – I couldn't… I couldn't leave her there."

His hands wrapped around me and he squeezed me gently. I sagged in his arms, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Jake, I'm tired," I mumbled into his chest.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" Jake asked the group standing in the kitchen. "We've been travelling all day."

"Of course." I recognized the controlled tone of Sam's voice instantly. "We'll sort everything out tomorrow. Do you have a place to sleep tonight?"

"Well, I was actually thinking of checking in with my dad, but… he's not here," Jake said, sounding puzzled.

"Sue drove him into Forks tonight, to visit Charlie," Sam answered slowly. I felt Jake tense for a moment before Sam continued. "Do you want to go over and wait for him? You probably should, he'd be furious if he didn't see you tonight. Both of you."

I brought my head of Jake's chest and gave Sam the best smile I could muster. He looked a little shocked but smiled tentatively back.

"Alright, we'll go over there now," Jake said, finally sounding like his old self again. "I hope he hasn't changed the lock since I left of we'll be locked out," he joked. There were chuckles around the kitchen.

"Come on, I'll escort you two – just in case your keys don't work," Sam laughed. He put a hand on Jake's shoulder and began to steer him out, me attached firmly to Jake's front.

I looked back at Emily and Kim, smiling. "Good-bye. Thank you for the food, it was delicious!"

Emily smiled back, but her expression was worried. Kim still stood there, hands on hips, Jared whispering comfortingly in her ear. I gave her a little wave and her eyes relaxed a little.

"Come on Cor," Jake said, moving his hand to the side of my neck to keep me next to him.

We passed through the living room again, everyone still staring. I blushed and looked firmly at my feet. Somehow I managed to walk through without bumping into anyone, which probably had something to do with Jake's firm grip.

"See you later," a voice called suddenly as we got to the front door. I glanced up to see the guy that had lead me in waving. He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I laughed quietly. Jake shot him a gratefully look before the door shut behind us.

The air had cooled down enormously since we had arrived but I barely felt it. My personal heater was close enough for comfort. Sam took his hand off Jake's shoulder and took lead, hands in pockets, looking kind of sheepish.

"Sorry about that, Kim's a little… feisty when she's pregnant."

"She's pregnant?" I asked, surprised. I hadn't noticed.

"Yeah, her third. She's got two sons, eleven and nine. We were surprised when she told us about this one," Sam chuckled.

"How about you and Emily?" Asked Jake, his voice subdued.

"We have four, one fifteen, thirteen, nine, and eight. My eldest is already in the pack."

"Already? So… the leeches are still around?" Jake asked, a growl soft in his voice. "What about…"

"Jake," Sam warned. I drew closer to Jake, a chill creeping down my spine. I knew who he was about to ask about. I had heard the story. When I was little it gave me nightmares. The horror story about his best friend who fell in love with one of the blood-drinkers.

Isabella Swan.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," Sam said in a firm tone, ending that conversation topic. We stopped in front of a dark house. "Here you go Jake. Billy hasn't actually changed the lock so you should be able to get in. I'll just warn you though, Rachel's been staying with Billy for a little while so don't be surprised when her and Paul come in during the night."

"Paul?" Jake yelped. "What? No way. No."

Sam boomed with laughter. "You missed a lot Jake. You're an uncle now."

I looked up at Jake and giggled at his open-mouthed expression.

"Shut up Cory," he growled. "You know Paul, would you want to be an uncle to _his_ kids?"

I considered it for a minute, imagining Jake panicking as his dark-haired nephew suddenly burst into a giant wolf and exploded into laughter.

"You're so screwed!"

"I know! Damn. This is going to be hard. You'll help right Cory? You're good with kids," Jake wheedled, tickling me. I laughed and shook my head.

"No way, you're on your own dude!"

"Alright then, good night you two," Sam said, watching us with an amused expression. "I'll talk to you tomorrow… And so will Paul."

I started laughing again as Sam walked off. Jake glared at his retreating back.

"At least I don't have to listen to _you_ anymore!" Jake yelled. Sam made a rude gesture with his fingers that I didn't think a father should make without turning around. "Stupid Alpha," Jake muttered under his breath.

"Come on Jakey, you'll be less grumpy after a good night's sleep," I soothed through a pouty lips. He just bent down and blew in my ear. "Ugh! Jake! Stop!"

"Sure, sure," he laughed and began to walk towards the dark house in front of us. I skipped to keep up with him.

"Where's the key Cory?" he asked.

I grabbed the chain around my neck and pulled out the stubby house key on the end. I looped it off my head and handed it to him. "Here ya go."

He thanked me and shoved it in the lock. I squinted at the outside of the house as he fiddled with the door, which appeared to be a bit sticky. I couldn't really make anything out but Jake hadn't said anything so I assumed it hadn't changed since he'd been away.

"There we go, come in Cor," he said, creaking the door open. I followed him silently. He flicked a switch and I blinked in the light that came on.

The house was small and seemed cramped with Jake standing next to me but I could tell that it was larger then any of the places we had stayed in before. The door opened directly into the kitchen. A bucket stood next to the door with a few fishing rods standing in it and the smell of seawater seemed to drift around the house. A vase of lilacs rested on a counter, put there by Rachel I assumed. Everything was tidy and clean.

"It feels like a home Jake," I whispered. He snuck a hand around my shoulder and squeezed my into a side hug.

"It is."

We exchanged a smile before he let me go. I wandered out of the kitchen, feeling at ease in the unfamiliar house. The small living room in the other room was just like the kitchen. Cramped, but cozy and organized.

"My room's upstairs Cory," Jake said, watching as looked around. I nodded and turned to go before something caught my eye.

"Look Jake," I said, awed. "It's you. As a little kid."

A whole row of pictures was lined up across the TV cabinet. Most of them were filled with dark-skinned youths, grinning cheekily at the camera. I saw dozens of Jake's, at various ages. Some with two older girls, his sisters, and some group shots with Jake usually near two other boys who looked to be the same age as him. And one picture with Jake looking nearly exactly like now, sitting with his arm around the shoulders of a pale girl with brown hair.

I stared at the girl. Her eyes were kind of red with dark shadows under them. Next to Jake's bright smile her own grin looked washed out and tired. She seemed too thin to be healthy. Jake's arm looked less casual and more like he was holding her together. A weird feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.

I turned away from the picture quickly, and tugged on Jake's arm before he got to that picture.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" I asked, yawning. He smiled tenderly down at me.

"It's time for bed Cory, let's go upstairs," he said, scooping my feet out from under me. I gasped, startled, my heart beating off rhythm as he carried me out of the room and up the stairs.

"You okay Cor?" He asked, listening to my heart, his head cocked. He leaned a little closer, some of his long hair brushing against my face. My heart jumped again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You must have startled me," I said, also confused at the weird beat my heart was pumping out. I shrugged at him and snuggled closer in his arms, feeling the comfort of his warms arms.

"Alright," he said dubiously. He carried me through a dark hallway and into a room with the same earthy smell Jake had.

"This must be your room," I said, unable to see anything in the dark. "It smells like you."

"Dad's kept everything exactly like I left it," Jake snorted. "That must've bugged Rach."

He put me down carefully on the bed. I cuddled against the sheets that smelt like laundry detergent.

"We left the bags in the woods, right?" I asked. "Will they be okay?"

"They should be," Jake said. "Do you need anything from them?" He asked, sounding concerned. "I can go get them."

"Nah, it's fine. I don't mind sleeping in my clothes," I murmured, my eyes closing drowsily.

"Here," Jake tossed something soft onto my face. I sat up and held it out in front of me. It felt like a shirt. I smiled and began pulling off my own.

Jake coughed suddenly.

"What?" I asked, struggling to pull off my jeans while still sitting down. I heard movement as Jake walked to the far corner of the bedroom.

"Nothing," he answered, his voice muffled. It sounded like he had his hand over his face. I rolled my eyes, the mysteries of men.

"I'm just leaving my clothes on the floor, okay?" I said after I managed to get my pants off. The shirt was so big on my it went all the way down to my knees. It was more like a dress then a shirt.

"Yep," Jake laughed. "Feel free. It can't get any messier then it already is." I heard the rustle of fabric as he pulled off his own shirt.

"Fold that," I commanded sleepily, my eyes fluttering open and closed as I tried to speak without sleep slurring my words. "It's new."

He chuckled and made a great show of folding his shirt even though he knew I couldn't see it. Then he lay down on top of the quilt next to me.

I poked him with one finger and he retaliated before snaking one arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer.

"Love you Jake," I whispered. "You're my best friend." His lips touched my forehead softly.

"Love you too," he answered.

Then, almost instantly his breathing evened out. I rolled my eyes, stupid werewolf sleep magic.

I shut my own eyes and let sleep swamp my eyes. Before I was pulled under an image surfaced in my mind.

The pale girl from the photo smiled at me, her brown eyes bright. Then suddenly she blinked. When she opened her eyes again I felt my skin creep. Her eyes were bright red. The colour of blood. I heard Jake's voice in my mind.

"Bella."


End file.
